State police planning roadside safety checks
Illinois State Police District 22 is planning to conduct roadside safety checks during June in Union County.
Capt. Michael Alvey, the commander of District 22, announced plans for the detail.
Alvey also announced the results of nighttime enforcement patrols which were conducted during April in Union County.
Roadside Safety Checks
Alvey said in a news release that roadside safety checks “combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public.”
The state police have zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois.
Officers working the detail will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license and transporting open alcoholic beverages.
Officers especially will be watching for the following violations:
Driving under the influence, DUI. Safety belt and child restraint use. Speeding. Distracted driving. All Illinois Vehicle Code and criminal violations.
Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois.
Throughout the United States, nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving.
The state police note that roadside safety checks are designed to keep roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road.
Nighttime Enforcement Patrols
The April nighttime enforcement patrols in Union County allowed the state police to focus on preventing, detecting and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations, especially between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The following results were compiled during the patrols:
Driving under the influence, DUI, citations, two. Other alcohol/drug citations, two. Occupant restraint offenses, 24. Registration offenses, four. Driver’s license offenses, one. Total citations/arrests, 36. Total written warnings, 12.
The state police noted that more than half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night.
Alvey said the nighttime enforcement patrols allow officers to work even harder at removing dangerous impaired drivers from the road and making sure everyone is buckled up.
The details are funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.